The Elusive beta-unsubstituted calix[5]pyrrole finally captured

[reaction: see text] The meso-decamethyl-calix[5]pyrrole 2b was synthesized from the furan-based analogue 1b via the homologation of the furan rings to pyrrole, and its solid-state structure was determined by X-ray crystallography: surprisingly, the binding constant of 2b toward chloride is found to be lower than that of the tetrameric analogue 2a.     

Thermal analysis of a drug-polymeric excipient solid system

Differential scanning calorimetry has been applied to the study of the solid system cross-linked polyvinylpyrrolidone/trimethoprim.Different results have been systematically obtained on co-ground and not co-ground mixtures, suggesting some type of interaction to take place between components as a consequence of co-grinding.A simple phenomenological model of the interaction is proposed, which quite satisfactorily agrees with thermal data.

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Zusammenfassung Das feste System von vernetztem Polyvinyl-pyrolidin/Trimethoprim wurde mittels DSC untersucht. Unterschiedliche Ergebnisse wurden systematisch für zusammen und nicht zusammen verriebene Mischungen gefunden, was auf eine Wechselwirkung zwischen Komponenten beim Verreiben hindeutet. Ein einfaches phänomenologisches Modell dieser Wechselwirkung wird vorgeschlagen, das mit thermischen Daten befriedigend übereinstimmt.

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This work has been partially supported by Ministero Pubblica Istruzione (Fondi 60%).     

Forensic identification of explosive oxidizers by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The mass spectrometry of a group of inorganic oxidizers was studied using the electrospray ionization technique. It was found that a series of cluster ions were predominant in both positive- and negative-ion mode, allowing for the characterization of the investigated oxidizers. The identity of the recorded cluster ions was further confirmed by using some isotopically labeled compounds and tandem mass spectrometry with collision-induced dissociation. The use of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for positive identification of major oxidizer components in explosive formulations was demonstrated by three samples of forensic interest.     

3D H-bonding networks self-assembly from pyridinium derivatives and bis(maleonitriledithiolato)zincate(II)

The two ion-pair complexes, [pyH]₂[Zn(mnt)₂] (1) and [4,4′-bipyH₂]-[Zn(mnt)₂] (2), were synthesized, where mnt²⁻ denotes maleonitriledithiolate, and [pyH]⁺, [4,4′-bipyH₂]²⁺ represent pyridinium and diprotonated 4,4′-bipyridinium, respectively. Their single crystal structures show that there are strong bifurcated H-bonding interactions between the cations of the pyridinium derivative and the [Zn(mnt)₂]²⁻ anions in both 1 and 2. The bifurcated H-bonding interactions between the N–H of the pyridiniums and the CN groups of the mnt²⁻ ligands give rise to a 2D layered H-bonding network, the adjacent layers come together in such way as mutual embrace to give a tight pack, thus 2D hydrogen-bonding sheets further develop into 3D H-bonding networks through weak C–HS and ππ stacking interactions in 1. As for 2, the cations and anions connect into several types of H-bonding macrorings ([2+2], [3+3] and [4+4]), these H-bonding macrorings fuse to extend into 2D layered structure, the interpenetration between [3+3] and [4+4] type H-bonding macrorings in the adjacent layers give further rise to novel 3D extended H-bonding networks, in which there are clearly parallel stacks of cations and the chelate rings of anions.     

Designing generalized statistical ensembles for numerical simulations of biopolymers

Conformational properties of polymers, such as average dihedral angles or molecular alpha-helicity, display a rather weak dependence on the detailed arrangement of the elementary constituents (atoms). We propose a computer simulation method to explore the polymer phase space using a variant of the standard multicanonical method, in which the density of states associated to suitably chosen configurational variables is considered in place of the standard energy density of states. This configurational density of states is used in the Metropolis acceptance/rejection test when configurations are generated with the help of a hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm. The resulting configurational probability distribution is then modulated by exponential factors derived from the general principle of the maximal constrained entropy by requiring that certain average configurational quantities take preassigned (possibly temperature dependent) values. Thermal averages of other configurational quantities can be computed by using the probability distributions obtained in this way. Moments of the energy distribution require an extra canonical sampling of the system phase space at the desired temperature, in order to locally thermalize the configurational degrees of freedom. As an application of these ideas we present the study of the structural properties of two simple models: a bead-and-spring model of polyethylene with independent hindered torsions and an all-atom model of alanine and glycine oligomers with 12 amino acids in vacuum.     

High levels of soluble herpes virus entry mediator in sera of patients with allergic and autoimmune diseases

Herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM) is a newly discovered member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily that has a role in herpes simplex virus entry, in T cell activation and in tumor immunity. We generated mAb against HVEM and detected soluble HVEM (SHVEM) in the sera of patients with various autoimmune diseases. HVEM was constitutively expressed on CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, CD19(+) B cells, CD14(+) monocytes, neutrophils and dendritic cells. In three-way MLR, mAb 122 and 139 were agonists and mAb 108 had blocking activity. An ELISA was developed to detect sHVEM in patient sera. sHVEM levels were elevated in sera of patients with allergic asthma, atopic dermatitis and rheumatoid arthritis. The mAbs discussed here may be useful for studies of the role of HVEM in immune responses. Detection of soluble HVEM might have diagnostic and prognostic value in certain immunological disorders.     

Profiling and screening analysis of 27 aromatic amino acids by capillary electrophoresis in dual modes

An efficient capillary electrophoretic (CE) profiling and screening system based on dual modes of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) was developed for the simultaneous determination of 23 nonprotein amino acids (NPAAs) and 4 protein amino acids with aromatic moiety. It involves separation by an uncoated fused-silica capillary under phosphoric acid buffer in CZE mode and by another uncoated fused-silica capillary under neutral sodium dihydrogen phosphate buffer containing sodium dodecyl sulfate in MEKC mode. Migration orders of the amino acids studied on the two separation modes under each optimum condition were very different. The repeatability of migration times measured by the CZE and MEKC was found to be better than 4.8 and 3.4%, respectively, thereby enabling to cross-check the identification of each amino acid. The method linearity and limit of detection of the CZE for each amino acid were found to be adequate for the assay of aromatic amino acids. When the present CE profiling and screening analysis in dual modes was applied to plant seeds, NPAAs such as mimosine from Mimosa pudica Linné, and 2-phenylglycine from Lindera erythrocarpa Makino were positively detected along with tryptophan, phenylalanine and tyrosine.     

Photochemically induced fluorescence investigation of aβ-cyclodextrin: Azure A inclusion complex and determination of analytical parameters

The photooxidation of Azure A and fluorescence properties of Azure A and its photoproduct have been investigated in aqueous media and in the presence of-cyclodextrin (-CD). The fluorescence intensity of the complex formed between the photoproduct and -CD was found to be three times higher than that of the uncomplexed Azure A photoproduct. A complex formation constant of 110±40 M^–1 was calculated using the Benesi-Hildebrand treatment of the fluorescence emission data. Although the stoichiometry of the Azure A photoproduct: -CD complex was found to be 1: 1, it seems that the Azure A structure is only partially included. Calibration graphs were plotted for the free Azure A photoproduct and the photogenerated product included in -CD. The analytical parameters and quantification limits were determined.     

Au nanoparticle micropatterns prepared from self-assembled films

A kind of hybrid multilayer film based on mercaptobenzoic acid-capped Au nanoparticles (MBA-Au-NPs) and photoreactive nitrodiazoresin (NDR) has been fabricated via electrostatic self-assembly. Upon exposure to UV light, the initial ionic bonds between the layers of the film convert into covalent bonds and the film stability toward polar solvents, salt, or surfactant solutions increases significantly. The micropatterned NDR/MBA-Au-NP film with the covalently linked architecture was formed by selecting exposure of the film through a photomask and later developed in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) aqueous solution. The metallic Au-NP micropatterns, furthermore, are produced by sintering the micropatterned NDR/MBA-Au-NP film at 550 degrees C, at which the organic components are removed completely. The well-defined micropatterns were characterized with atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), microscope with a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).